It's been a while since my last update - mainly because I was keen to see if our petition hand in to number 10 would get a response or fall on deaf ears!

Along with the petition this letter was included - you can hear it read aloud here:

As the Prime Minister receives a great many of letters and emails he could not reply personally (of course).  So my correspondence was passed to the Department for Education to respond and we got a response!

This was an almost welcomed reply - since not so long ago they told me they had nothing further to add on this very topic and deflected the concerns raised to the Department of Science Innovation and Technology.  The DSIT reply was almost entirely based upon the amended Online Safety Act that would solve all of these problems.  While this act might be important, I replied to advise it does not address the every day risks of in-school misuse of smartphones that includes filming peers and teachers without consent, sharing harmful content, or using social media during school hours.  All of this on school grounds, buses, day trips, and residential.  The DSIT response to this - Your correspondence subject 'smartphones' has been passed to Department for Education due to their responsibility for this policy area 👀🤦‍♀️

This brings me full circle to my latest response from the DfE and after more than a year of parents, educators and health professionals raising concerns and calling for change - their response: still the same as it was over a year ago.  No amendments to the mobile phone policy, which still allows for an option of ’Never used seen or heard’ which is totally unenforceable, with sanctions after the mis-use has occurred and directly undermines a schools ability to uphold their legal duties to safety guard school children - as laid out in Keeping Children Safe in Education - Online Safety.

We do have some good news however!

After the initial rejection the Government petitions committee has FINALLY published the original petition!

Since this was first submitted, we've had numerous misleading public statements from senior Government members going as far to state state that "all schools either remove, lock away or do not allow smartphones”.  These statements are simply NOT true and have pushed me to make the ask on Government a stronger - bolder one!  

One that will truly safeguard school children and does not allow for ineffective policies than are impossible to create safe learning environments - as our schools should have!

So I am sorry to ask you to sign ANOTHER petition - but please check it out and if you agree, please sign and share - If anything I am committed to being a real pain to Government until they give this the urgent attention it deserves! 

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/726477

Thank you (again)